July 12, 2008 - According to the deal reached between Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Studios and Twentieth Century Fox, the anti-smoking announcement will be introduced in the opening minutes of DVDs of all new movies with smoking scenes. Dan Glickman, chief executive of the Motion Picture Association of America, said the industry’s intention was to notify parents “about smoking depictions in films so they can make informed decisions.” Reference: Anti-Smoking Announcements On New DVDs by Diane Smith, eFluxMedia.com, 7/12/2008. Dr. Cornelia Pechmann: Teenagers are more likely to think smoking is "cool" after they've watched their Hollywood idols light up on screen - unless they've just seen an advertisement reminding them of the dangers of smoking. ( Movies May Be Contributing To Rise In Teen Smoking, UC Irvine Study Shows) Some related news briefs: July 26, 2007July 25, 2007 and May 11, 2007. Click on image to enlarge..

July 11, 2008 - Smoking ban starts in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya (a member of the FCTC) - they may be serious this time.. As of Wednesday, July 10, 2008 people who smoke in public in Kenya's capital Nairobi face a fine or up to six months in jail. Kenya's government has already implemented such bans in Mombasa and the Rift Valley town of Nakuru, saying it wants to cut the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. The authorities say some 8,000 Kenyans die every year from smoking. Nairobi town clerk John Gakuo told a news conference first-time offenders will either be fined 2,000 shillings (about $30) or be jailed for six months.

Repeat offenders face a bigger fine or up to nine months in prison. Small local pubs would be exempted, Gakuo said, but restaurants must provide separate smoking areas if they want to let their customers light up. Last year a Kenyan court suspended a smoking ban ordered by the Health Ministry after it was challenged by the Kenyan unit of British American Tobacco Plc (about 80% market share) and a local manufacturer (probably Mastermind Tobacco Limited - TW). The two companies estimated that they would lose more than $10 million each if the legislation was enforced. The new law bans the sale of cigarettes to people under 18 years and selling tobacco in a packet of less than 10 cigarettes. It also forbids promoting tobacco by sponsoring sports, cultural, educational or entertainment activities and branding of buildings other than those owned or leased by manufacturers. Smoking earns the Kenyan government about five billion shillings (76 million dollars or 49 million euro) a year in taxes, but costs five times as much in disease, disability and death, according to official figures. References: Kenyan capital Nairobi starts smoking ban by Victor Adar, Reuters, 7/11/2008; Kenyan smoking ban due to take effect: official by AFP, health.yahoo/com, 7/7/2008.

September 22, 2008 - As reported back in October 17, 2007, the South Pacific island of Niue believes it can set an example by becoming the first country in the world to go smoke-free.

Sitaleki Finau, Niue's director of health, is backing a bill to prohibit smoking and the sale of tobacco in public areas and private homes. The bill has been presented to parliament, but the government has not yet signed up to it. Dr Finau said he expected a ban to face stiff opposition from the tobacco industry and other commercial interests. But he urged MPs to be bold and vote for it.

Dr Finau said the government would have to consider whether a ban infringed smokers' rights. "There has been mixed reaction," he said. "It's one of those difficult political issues, because there are commercial interests against it, and the government has to look at it in relation to tax. A tobacco-free country sounds pretty straightforward and simple, but there are some complex issues involved."

July 10, 2008 - Northern Ireland raising age for sale of tobacco from 16 to 18 joining the other three United Kingdom (UK) countries (1 Oct 2007). (The UK is a union of four constituent countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.) Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has announce, effective September 1, 2008, that the legal age at which people can buy tobacco products will rise from 16 to 18. Mr. McGimpsey: "It is clear that we must do all we can to deter our children and young people from taking up the smoking habit. I understand that raising the age of sale will not, in itself, solve the problems of children's smoking. It is one step along the way. "Education programmes and promotional campaigns, highlighting the dangers of smoking, will of course continue." Reference: Tobacco buying age to rise to 18, BBC News, 6/30/2008. Related news brief: Raise Age to 21 to Purchase Tobacco Products..Northern Ireland's Five Year Tobacco Action Plan.The European Union, in which the UK is a member, has in place a ban on the sale of oral snuff. (TobaccoWatch.org) Read more...

July 9, 2008 - National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) launches initiative to educate legislators about the negative aspects of further increases to cigarette and tobacco tax rates.. According to the group's most recent NATO E-News bulletin, this effort involved mailing a personalized letter to more than 7,100 state legislators and all 50 state governors warning them that an increasing number of states that have raised cigarette and tobacco taxes in the past 18 months have either collected less tax revenue than before the latest tax increase or collected far less than the estimated amount of additional revenue. This initiative by NATO will include articles to be published in industry trade publications including CSP magazine. NATO also will send letters-to-the-editor to newspapers around the country with the goal of informing elected officials and the public about the need to focus on taxing other products. To view a copy of the letter. Reference: NATO Launches Tax Initiative Letter urges legislators, govs to look beyond tobacco for revenue, CSP Daily News, 7/7/2008. Related news brief: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco launches web site to help retailers and other opponents fight tobacco taxes.Read more...

July 9, 2008 - Despite increasingly tough rhetoric toward Iran, which Bush has called part of an "axis of evil," the value of U.S. exports to Iran has reportedly increased tenfold since George Bush took office. While there are reportedly strict rules about what the U.S. can ship over there, they apparently aren't too limited--US tobacco companies have reportedly exported $158 million worth of cigarettes to the nation since 2000, more than any other product. A couple other examples: the U.S. has also sold Iran about $12.6 million worth of bull semen and at least $101,000 worth of bras. Reference: US ships cigarettes, bras, more to Iran by Sharon Theimer, Associated Press Writer, Yahoo Finance, 7/8/2008. Related article: Health Professionals Criticize U.S. Tobacco Export Policy by CLYDE H. FARNSWORTH, SPECIAL , 7/20/1989. Sen. John McCain, USA Republican candidate for president.

July 8, 2008 - Nat Sherman International has appointed Altadis USA as the exclusive distributor of several of its cigars in the United States. The agreement includes the brands Nat Sherman Sauve, the Nat Sherman 489 and 1400 Series and the Omerta Nat Sherman Private Selection. Joel Sherman, president of Nat Sherman Inc.: due to recent changes in OTP (other tobacco products) taxing regulations, it has been increasingly difficult for us to give our cigars the attention they deserve. We have always enjoyed a warm relationship with Altadis USA, and this is a unique opportunity for both parties. Nat Sherman makes and sells premium cigars, cigarettes, pipes, tobacco, and smoking accessories (ashtrays, cigar cutters and cases, humidors, lighters) throughout the US and in more than 40 countries worldwide. Altadis USA created from the 2000 consolidation of HavaTampa Inc. and Consolidated Cigar Holdings is a leading cigar maker nationwide that generates more than half of its parent Altadis, S.A.'s worldwide cigar sales. Altadis USA's Spanish parent company was acquired by Britain's Imperial Tobacco Group in February 2008. Reference: Altadis USA to sell Nat Sherman cigars, Tobacco Reporter, 7/8/2008. FYI: Altadis U.S.A. Sends Free Cigars to Troops, 4/17/2008.

July 8, 2008 - Chief Executive Hiroshi Kimura of Japan Tobacco, the world's third-largest cigarette maker and half-owned by the Japanese government, stated in a Reuters interview that most Japanese smokers would quit if the price of cigarettes were to triple, as could happen under a proposed tax scheme. Kimura: "If prices reached 1,000 yen ($9.34) a pack (e.g., Mild Seven, the most popular cigarette in Japan at present costs 300 yen ($2.80)), 80 to 90 percent of smokers would quit and the rest would probably cut back."

July 7, 2008 - Governor Deval Patrick signed the bill Tuesday, July 1, 2008, a day after House (approved by a 93-52 vote) and Senate (approved by a 26-9 vote) lawmakers rushed to approve the bill by the start of the new fiscal year. The increase brings Massachusetts' cigarette tax to $2.51 per pack. New York has the highest cigarette tax in the nation at $2.75 per pack. Supporters say the tax increase would help raise $174 million in revenues. They say the extra money will go to help cover the cost of the state's landmark health care law. Vermont's cigarette tax rate climbs by 20 cents to $1.99 per pack effective Tuesday, a jump that follows a 60-cents-per-pack increase in 2006. New Hampshire's cigarette tax, now $1.08 per pack, is slated to jump to $1.33 in October if it doesn't , generate at least $48 million in revenues between July 2008 and October 2008. Reference: Mass. cigarette tax jumps $1 per pack by Steve Leblanc, Boston.com - Associated Press, 7/1/2008. Related news briefs: The primary reason to increase the tax on tobacco is to get smokers to quit and dissuade kids from starting.. and Massachusetts (MA) Likely to Increase Tobacco tax..Click on image to enlarge.. (TobaccoWatch.org)Read more...

July 7, 2008 - P. Boffetta, S. Hecht, N. Gray, P. Gupta and K Straif; Smokeless tobacco and cancer; The Lancet Oncology 9(7):667-675, 2008 - Abstract. The researchers sought to quantify the risk of smokeless tobacco after a number of studies differed on just how dangerous the products were. An assessment of eleven studies worldwide concluded that smokeless tobacco products (STP) lead to an 80% increase in risk of oral cancer, a 60% increase in risk of esophageal cancer, and a 60% increase in risk of pancreatic cancer. There also seem to be geographic differences in how these specific cancers are related to STP use. More than 50% of oral cancers in India and Sudan can be attributed to STPs specific to those countries, compared to only 4% of oral cancers in the USA. Sweden can blame 20% of esophageal and pancreatic cancer on STPs that are consumed there. Research from the USA suggests an 80% increase in lung cancer risk for STP users. One study found that men that quit smoking and switched to spit tobacco had about a 2.5 times increase risk of death from oral cavity and pharynx cancers than those who stopped using tobacco completely.